Nightshade
by The Tambourine Man
Summary: The path takes a different turn. Cheria begins acting strangely, and Asbel is left wondering as to who his oldest friend really is.
1. Chapter 1

It was strange how quickly things could change.

Cheria recalled the day Asbel had brought the strange girl into town. She had had mixed feelings about the girl; she wanted no competitors for Asbel's attention, but she was happy to have another friend, and one who could the reckless Asbel safe. Between her, meeting the Prince, and being part of some of Asbel's adventures, it seemed her life was changing; some new age of excitement.

It was painful for her to think how wrong that was.

Little Hubert, taken to some strange land. The thought of the fearful boy so far from anything he knew left a sour feeling in the pit of Cheria's stomach. She wanted desperately to see him again, to know that he was doing well. But she didn't know how to reach him, and she had no hope of traveling abroad for years. And so she had nothing to do beyond worry when nothing consumed her focus.

Sophie... No body had ever been found. Cheria tried to tell herself it would be okay; that Sophie had been separated by some contrived circumstance, that she would be found and brought back to Lhant, that Asbel would follow her back, that they could be together again. But that hope was ephemeral; she knew Sophie wouldn't leave Asbel's side, especially if he was in danger. She wanted dearly to not imagine what had happened. For a time, it seemed as if she could. But once in a blue moon, they came. Nightmares. Visions of Sophie throwing herself into battle with that horrible monster, only to be struck down. Cheria could never get back to sleep after those dreams.

Asbel was different. Asbel was always different. His presence meant excitement, adventure, risk; poor ideas with wonderful results; fear for the other, and angry words with each other. But his faith that all would someday be well was infectious. Asbel had a way of reassuring her that no one else did. And just as often as she grew angry, she found it hard to remain upset. And now he was gone, in his own way. He could come back whenever he wished. But when he needed her the most, all she could do was say the wrong thing and make him an offer he didn't believe she could uphold.

And so the person she wanted to be with the most left her behind.

It had been six months now, since everyone had left. Winter came to Lhant, flaying the leaves from the trees and bleaching the grass. Snow seldom ever fell, in spite of the constant clouds that came in from the sea. And as the fateful year drew to a close, Cheria once again found herself in her typical situation; bored.

She had classes, but not today. She had books, which she had all read. Lord Aston would sometimes ask her to run some errand or another. Occasionally, the task would be something that actually needed to be done.

She had her crafts, something she had seemingly lost interest in. But sitting alone in her house on that cold day, she once again found her enthusiasm. She gathered her pens and paper at the table before realizing she had no idea what to draw. Her thoughts turned quickly through several subjects; flowers, the mountains, windmills, Asbel...

She couldn't help but think back. Playing games, exploring their small hometown, seeing his smiling face. She found herself smiling again.

Asbel, who was always confident even if he shouldn't be.

Asbel, who never minded carrying her.

Asbel, who wanted nothing to do with her.

Cheria frowned. Where had that idea come from? But... it wasn't wrong, was it? He'd left her behind. He wanted to be strong, and apparently he couldn't do that with her around. Losing Hubert and Sophie was an unbearable loss for him; her, he just threw away.

Cheria put pen to paper. Her drawing was frantic, wild. She had some idea what it would be in the end, but couldn't seem to put it into words. After an interminable time, it was done. Cheria fell back in her chair, lightheaded and trying to blink away the spots that started to fill her vision. After a moment, she looked down to see what she had drawn.

Cheria paled, her eyes wide. Several creatures with long snouts and sharp teeth- wolves?- where surrounding and tearing into one person in the center. One creature had nearly taken his arm off. And as she look closer, the figure in the middle became more familiar.

Asbel.

"No, no..." Why? What had possessed her to make something so horrible? "No, no. No! No! No!" Cheria once again put pen to paper, this time slashing viciously at the wretched picture, wishing for nothing more than to undo the awful thing she had made.

Frederick returned several hours later, to find a roaring fire in the fireplace and no sign of the picture. It would be many years before Cheria would draw again.

**Author's note: I've entered very different territory here. No humor, no dialogue. This story will be an AU. You might be able to figure out what going on right away, but I don't want to reveal it just yet. I'm not done writing lighthearted stories. I am to go back to that once I have a few more ideas.**


	2. Chapter 2

It was surprising how little it hurt.

The last week had been one unpleasant surprise after another. The battle with Fendel was desperate, but it wasn't hopeless. They were able to keep the fighting away from town, and they had sent request to the king and the other lords to send aid. But then lord Aston had fallen, and everything seemed to fall apart. Without there leader, the mood in Lhant grew darker. Lady Keri and Frederick were inconsolable. Everyone sensed the encroaching doom. And so Cheria had been given that errand.

Find Asbel.

She didn't know what to expect from the meeting. She hadn't expected to actually see Asbel again. She reunited with him outside the Knight Academy. He was different now, calmer and seemingly more humble. He seemed happy to see her. She knew the other shoe would fall soon. He couldn't really want her around, a little voice seemed to say. So she tried to stay aloof and focus on Lhant. But deep down, through all the fear and trepidation, some part of her was happy as well.

And then came the attack, and Asbel's gambit. She didn't stop to think if it could really work. There were invaders attacking her home. And if Asbel was heading into danger, she wanted to be with him.

It turned out to be an awful idea. One weapon fell, a half dozen others continued their attack. Both she and Asbel were too busy trying to survive to counterattack. One shell landed too close and blew the two of them in opposite directions. Her ears were ringing, but she could faintly hear someone yelling.

"Cheria!" It was Asbel. And she had never heard him sound so distraught.

Asbel was hurt, but he tried to drag himself to her. The cannons where training on him, ready to fire.

"Asbel, look out!" Cheria shouted. But Asbel didn't seem to care about anything else. "Asbel, don't worry about me, just-"

She had put her hand to her chest, just an idle gesture as she spoke. But the warm, sticky feeling gave her pause. She pulled her hand away, realizing that it was covered in blood. She looked at the gash on her chest. Had it been the last explosion?

It was surprising how little it had hurt.

Her strength seemed to leave her, and she collapsed to the ground. She heard more cannon fire, but now it sounded so far away. She was going. There was nothing for it. She wanted to do something, curse their assailants and her own weakness, but could barely muster the energy for passion. There wasn't anything she could do.

Wasn't there? Just another idle thought, but something came with it. An awareness. Something warm and soothing, just out of reach. She wanted to grab, call out to it, beckon it. She still didn't have the energy.

But it came to her anyways. The feeling slowly returned to her limbs, her sight grew clear again. She had the strength to stand once more.

And then she remembered clearly what had happened. Her mind focused around one thing; They hurt Asbel

Asbel was in dire straights. He was out numbered and on the defensive. Cheria was down _(only down, she'll be okay once he got to her, she'll be okay...)._

And then it came. A bright red flash, an overwhelming roar, a feeling of intense heat everywhere. Asbel lost his footing. He head swam. His ears rang. It seemed like an eternity before he finally registered something; a scent.

Smoke.

His heart started thudding again, fear washing away his confusion. He was able to get a good look at his surroundings. One glassy crater sat at the middle of the meadow. The weapons had been reduced to molten piles of slag. Almost everything else was gone. The ground was torn up, the few remaining plants seemed to be ablaze. Only the large tree seemed to have escaped devastation. And over it all, one sound rang out. A horrible, spiteful laugh. Asbel looked to see who it was.

Cheria.

Fear and confusion struck him, mixed with a sense of relief. She was on her feet, at least. She didn't appear to be bleeding anymore. Perhaps he had misjudged her injuries? But had she done this? It seemed far beyond what her artes were capable of. And the look on her face... Asbel never knew she could look so bitter.

The laughter abruptly stopped. Cheria ran to his side, wearing her familiar look of concern. "Asbel, are you okay?"

"I... think. What happened?"

Cheria didn't answer. She just helped him to his feet, looking nervous. "C'mon, let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

He imagined there was a grand flash of light; with his back turned to it, he could see very little. He could hear well the otherworldly ringing, and more importantly, felt the burst of warmth. It started in his back, eclipsing the pain it had had, before washing out through the rest of his body, dissipating as it reached the end of his fingers.

Frederick Barnes rose from his chair and stretched. "Oh! That is much better. Thank you very much."

The girl he addressed looked back at him for a moment before responding, "You're welcome" in a flat tone.

Frederick turned his attention to the others gathered in his home. "Master Hubert, I should be able to resume work immediately."

"Your aid isn't needed so badly. You can take more time." Was Hubert's terse reply.

"I see. And Master Asbel, we've been very worried about you after your… departure. Are you well?"

"Well… Actually, yeah I am. Mostly." The war was over, he was back at a place that could be home, and he hadn't seen another _incident_ like the one back at Lhant Hill.

Hubert cleared his throat, and Asbel realized that no one had spoken for a while. "If you're done here, perhaps we could return to the manor? I think we have some things to discuss."

**/SCENE/**

Asbel was a few steps from the door when the smell hit him, the all-too-familiar metallic tang of fresh blood. He raced forward and threw the door, fearful of whatever would be on the other side. The smell intensified, but what he saw was far worse. He froze. Behind him, he could hear Hubert ask what was happening and felt his brother try to push past him, until he got a look at what was inside.

There was Hubert's assistant, slumped against the door to Hubert's office. His eyes were unfocused, his tan skin looking horribly bleached. His throat was cleaved by a large cut, which had spilled still-red blood onto his uniform. And he wasn't alone. There were three other Strahtan soldiers lying near him, only one showing any sign of movement.

And there, standing in the middle, splattered in blood, staring off at something only she could see, was Cheria.

It was a long moment before anyone spoke. "Cheria," said Sophie, with a hint of concern in her voice, "Did you kill them?"

Cheria finally turned her head to the door. "Sophie…" she said softly, while taking a step toward them.

"Stay back!" Asbel yelled as he reached for his sword. Cheria flinched. Silence reigned again.

"I had to." Cheria said quietly. "I had to. He," she gestured toward the dead aide, "Was plotting against Hubert. Against you. He was going to… keep me quiet. He told his men to… I had to do it!"

"I need you to come with me." It was Hubert that spoke this time, and it was unlike anything Asbel had heard him say in years. His anger and imperious bombast seemed to be gone; now there was just a labored calmness. "You killed these soldiers-"

"I-I didn't have a choice!"

"Perhaps not. You'll get your chance to tell your story. But something like this can't just be overlooked." She hesitated. "Cheria, I'm on your side. I'll make sure you're treated fairly. But you need to come with me."

She held her hands behind her back and walked towards them without a word. Asbel followed them, still seeming scared. Sophie looked at them with confusion, before turning her attention to the barely-alive soldier. As they walked through the garden, they passed Frederick.

"Oh, Grandpa! You're up! Are you feeling better?" Cheria said, trying far too hard to sound normal. Frederick, unable to meet her eyes, mumbled something as she was led away.

**Author's Note: It's been way too long since I updated this story. Sorry for the wait. I haven't felt much like writing since my old computer came down with a virus. But this story is far from done. The next chapter will show where this story's going, and why everything's turning out differently. Though I've already left plenty of hints. I'm also thinking about changing the title, since "Nightshade" was just something I decided on when I posted it.**


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